as in winds
an air movement that is blowing toward something (such as a ship or an airplane) as it moves forward
Stiff headwinds caused the flight to take longer than expected.
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Recent Examples of headwinds
Amid economic headwinds and the fragmenting of audiences with the ongoing evolution of the internet, there have also been recently been concerns regarding censorship within the traditional late-night context, with Jimmy Kimmel Live!
—
Matt Grobar, Deadline, 27 Apr. 2026
Ramaswamy faces growing headwinds within a GOP base disgruntled over the rising cost of living, the disjointed release of the Jeffrey Epstein files, the burgeoning demands of data centers and the war with Iran.
—ABC News, 26 Apr. 2026
These headwinds, together with Spirit’s ongoing reputational challenges like being the target of jokes by late-night hosts and prominent press coverage of its two brushes with bankruptcy, likely account for Spirit’s satisfaction decline.
—Zach Wichter, USA Today, 23 Apr. 2026
The statement comes as much of the corporate world is rolling back climate commitments, in the face of political headwinds and rising energy prices.
—Bloomberg, Mercury News, 23 Apr. 2026
Sales, held back by supply chain headwinds for mechanical products in January and February, increased organically by 3%.
—CNBC, 23 Apr. 2026
The party already faced historical challenges as the majority party going into the midterm elections, on top of economic headwinds that have become even stronger as the Iran war wreaks havoc on the global economy.
—Julia Manchester, The Hill, 23 Apr. 2026
Despite persistent economic headwinds and ongoing global conflicts affecting trade and transportation, the mood among exhibitors and attendees at Kingpins Amsterdam last week was notably more optimistic than at the previous two editions.
—Angela Velasquez, Footwear News, 21 Apr. 2026
However, the steady climb to roughly 9,800 feet combined with strong desert headwinds significantly increased consumption.
—Bojan Stojkovski, Interesting Engineering, 19 Apr. 2026
Matt Grobar, Deadline, 27 Apr. 2026
Ramaswamy faces growing headwinds within a GOP base disgruntled over the rising cost of living, the disjointed release of the Jeffrey Epstein files, the burgeoning demands of data centers and the war with Iran.
—ABC News, 26 Apr. 2026
These headwinds, together with Spirit’s ongoing reputational challenges like being the target of jokes by late-night hosts and prominent press coverage of its two brushes with bankruptcy, likely account for Spirit’s satisfaction decline.
—Zach Wichter, USA Today, 23 Apr. 2026
The statement comes as much of the corporate world is rolling back climate commitments, in the face of political headwinds and rising energy prices.
—Bloomberg, Mercury News, 23 Apr. 2026
Sales, held back by supply chain headwinds for mechanical products in January and February, increased organically by 3%.
—CNBC, 23 Apr. 2026
The party already faced historical challenges as the majority party going into the midterm elections, on top of economic headwinds that have become even stronger as the Iran war wreaks havoc on the global economy.
—Julia Manchester, The Hill, 23 Apr. 2026
Despite persistent economic headwinds and ongoing global conflicts affecting trade and transportation, the mood among exhibitors and attendees at Kingpins Amsterdam last week was notably more optimistic than at the previous two editions.
—Angela Velasquez, Footwear News, 21 Apr. 2026
However, the steady climb to roughly 9,800 feet combined with strong desert headwinds significantly increased consumption.
—Bojan Stojkovski, Interesting Engineering, 19 Apr. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for headwinds
winds
Noun
-
Strong southwest winds and dry conditions are expected to contribute to blowing dust in agricultural areas south of Chicago.—
Audrey Pachuta,
Chicago Tribune,
4 May 2026
-
In highly populated areas, people tend to spot and call in fires pretty quickly, and the tech is not so useful when extreme weather events, such as hurricane-force winds, intensify and rapidly shift the flames, as happened in Los Angeles last year.—
Dorany Pineda,
Los Angeles Times,
4 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Headwinds.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/headwinds. Accessed 10 May. 2026.
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